


One Jump Ahead: Ladrien June 2019

by seasonofthegeek



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Ladrien June, Temporary Character Death, Time Travel, ladrien, you know how I do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-04-06 23:38:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 21,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19073017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seasonofthegeek/pseuds/seasonofthegeek
Summary: In this AU, Ladybug has been the hero of Paris for over a decade. She had a Chat Noir but lost him in the final battle against Le Paon Royale years ago and has worked alone ever since. With the loss of her closest friend and partner, she’s been more closed off and reserved, declining interviews and leaving scenes as soon as the police have things under control. However, a new threat has arrived on the scene and she will need help from an unlikely source if she has any hope in saving the world.There will be character spoilers from the Season 3 episode “Timetagger” in this story.





	1. Kiss

“You’re drooling, dude.” Nino held out a napkin with a teasing grin.

Adrien snatched it from him and wiped at his mouth primly. “I won’t apologize for that; she’s amazing.” He looked back out the window of the sandwich shop they were eating in to see Ladybug help a young mother and child out of a car. The driver had lost control and the hero was able to create a net with her yoyo string to stop it before an accident could occur.

“She really is,” Alya sighed dreamily and sucked up more soda through her straw. “I wish she’d give me an interview.” They watched the net disappear with a neat flick of Ladybug’s wrist and then she was swinging away.

“And just like that, she’s gone again.” Nino sat back in his chair. “Do you guys ever wonder who she really is?”

“All the time. I think she’s around our age. We could’ve gone to school with her.”

“Well, since it was just me and a tutor until I got to university, I don’t think I could’ve.” Adrien pushed his food basket away and looked out the window again. “I wonder if I’ve passed her on the street though. Maybe we’ve even spoken.”

“Maybe she’s already in love with you and just doesn’t know.” Nino pulled Adrien’s leftovers in front of him and picked up a chip. “Maybe she’s your destiny and one day she’s going to save your life and then immediately lay true love’s kiss on you.”

“I know you’re making fun of me but I don’t even care. I hope it’s true.”

“And that’s why I adore you, dude.”  
_____________________________

Ladybug was tired and it wasn’t the kind of tired that a good night’s sleep could fix. She was weary all the way down to her bones and she didn’t think she had much fight left in her. Everyday was so hard. She was tired of being alone but terrified of getting close to anyone again. It wasn’t worth someone’s life just so she could have a friend. Not again.

The week had been filled with odd accidents all over the city. Drivers claiming their cars went out of control, electrical fields going in and out, the weather severely changing from one hour to the next. She knew something was coming and most likely it was big, but she couldn’t seem to rally the right amount of apprehension. 

Maybe her time was going to be up soon and though logically she knew it wasn’t a great though, she was almost welcoming it.  
_____________________________

Adrien stood frozen in the quaking crowd filling the plaza. Ladybug’s broken body was being covered by a sheet but the news was already out. The hero of Paris had finally been taken down and the newest villain’s monologue before she disappeared in a show of smoke had been bone-chilling.

No one seemed to know what to do. Adrien certainly didn’t. There were muffled cries and hoarse whispers. It was one of the hottest months of the year but he wasn’t sure if he would ever feel warm again. He hugged himself and felt the tears leaking down his face.   
She was gone.

She’d been there for so long and now...

A pale hand slipped from under the sheet as Ladybug’s body was moved onto a stretcher. Adrien felt his heart seize up. Whoever was under that sheet now wasn’t Ladybug anymore and he wondered if the world would ever know everything that nameless woman had done for it.

“You, come with me.” A hand closed around his wrist and Adrien spun around in surprise, trying to pull away. 

He blinked at the woman dressed in a white and blue bunny outfit. “I...”

“We don’t have time,” she groaned, yanking his wrist and turning to cut a swath through the crowd.

Adrien looked back to see his spot in the crowd already being filled in. There were too many people in the way to see what was left of Ladybug now. That was his last glance. He dug his heels in and halted their progress. “Let go of me! Who the hell are you?” He wiped angrily at the remaining tears on his face and glared at the woman. 

Her brow raised beneath her mask and she seemed to be trying to fight a smile. “Good. So you do have some fire in you. I gotta admit, I’ve been watching you for days now and I was thinking I’d been sent after the wrong guy.”

“Who are you?” he ground out. There were too many emotions fighting for dominance and he needed to regain control. He took in a deep breath and then squared the ridiculously dressed woman up with an expectant look.

“You can call me Bunnix.” She bared a fierce grin. “Now, are you ready to come with me or what?”

“What are you talking about? Come with you where?” He looked around and realized the crowd was beginning to disperse but no one seemed to be paying them any attention which was absurd. “How do I know you aren’t one of the new villain’s henchmen or something? I could call out right now and have you arrested.”

“You’re the only one that can see me, dum-dum. Cloaking agent.” She tapped her temple. “And I’m one of the good guys.”

“Sure.”

Her expression grew serious. “Look, I’ve been sent back to this moment to grab you so you can prevent this from happening. Are you in or what?”

His head ached. This person was obviously a lunatic and he needed to get away. Even though he had never personally interacted with Ladybug, he felt like a part of him died along with her and he needed some time and space to sift through that feeling. They had no connection; he shouldn’t feel like his soul had been ripped out of his body, shredded to pieces, and stuffed back in.

Bunnix studied him. “You could save her,” she said softly.

Adrien’s head shot up and he stared at her. “What are you talking about?”

She brandished a white umbrella and pointed it back at the alley mouth they stood in. A brilliant streak of white light shot out of it and formed a glowing portal. “Time travel,” she shrugged. “I take you back and you keep this from happening.”

He stepped back, shaking his head. “This is...this is nuts. You’re crazy.”

“Look, man, you’ve seen what she’s up against. You could change it for her. Today doesn’t have to be the end of Ladybug.”

He glanced back at the pack of police still surrounding the area where she’d fallen. “But she’s...”

“Dead, yeah. But that’s the now. We’re going back to the then.”

He shook his head and took another step back. “I don’t understand.”

Bunnix inhaled deeply and nodded. “Yeah, I know. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense but let me just ask you one thing. If you had the ability to go back an entire year to make sure this doesn’t happen, to make sure she doesn’t end up dead on the pavement over there, would you?”

“Of course,” he whispered.

She grinned. “That’s all I needed to know.” And then she was grabbing his wrist again and pulling him towards the portal.


	2. Famous

Adrien stepped out of the portal feeling slightly sick to his stomach. He stumbled forward and found himself face to face with a large advertisement for the Gabriel summer fashion show. The months leading up to the show had been uncomfortable. His face was plastered all over the city to promote Gabriel Agreste’s return to fashion after a few years with no new designs and Adrien hadn’t found a moment’s peace between fans and random gawkers. 

“Really? This is where you had to bring me?” He was still partly convinced he was having a nervous breakdown and this was all some kind of Christmas Carol-type episode but he may as well go along with it. Maybe his brain was trying to save him from himself.

“I needed to make sure she would recognize you. Besides, this is when I was told to bring you,” Bunnix answered with a shrug.

“By who?”

“That’s not any of your business.”

“It feels like my business.”

She gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. “But it isn’t. Not you-you’s business anyway.”

“What the heck does that mean?!”

“Don’t worry your pretty model head about it, man. We’re already a jump ahead of the game.”

“Except according to you, we went back in time.”

Bunnix rolled her eyes. “Yeah, so we’re ahead.”

“But--”

“Don’t try to explain time travel to the time traveler, poster boy. This isn’t my first time.”

Adrien stared at her for a long minute and decide it wasn’t worth the fight. “Fine, so what are the rules? Am I going to explode if I run into my past self or something?”

“Don’t be so dramatic. You are your past self.”

“What?”

“Look at it this way. The moment you came through that portal, the Adrien that existed in this day just kind of...disappeared,” she explained.

“You killed me?!”

“Are you or are you not standing right here and breathing?” Bunnix crossed her arms. “As far as the world is concerned, this is the most present time and you are the current Adrien but you just got to keep all the memories you have from the future. The year that you know hasn’t happened yet.”

“Yeah, but what about the stuff that happened to everyone else?”

“It will still happen.”

“But...but isn’t it like the butterfly effect or something? What if I change something really big for someone?” Adrien frowned. “I could make a mess of things.”

“I gotta admit, I really didn’t take you for an overthinker,” Bunnix said. “I think it’s the blonde hair and the whole model thing that threw me off. Besides, you are here to change something really big for someone, remember? Ladybug.”

He took a deep breath. “Right. And how do I do that?”

Bunnix lifted her umbrella and opened another portal. “No idea. That’s not my department. But good luck!” She gave him a wave and stepped into the white sphere and Adrien was suddenly left alone on the empty dark sidewalk.

“Okay. Okay, right. So a year ago. What was I doing a year ago?”


	3. Couple

Adrien finally made it up the steps to the flat he shared with Nino. He’d been surprised to find his old phone and keys in his pocket. He felt a small sense of loss from the things no longer on his phone but in the end, none of it had been very important. Nino and Alya’s wedding were the only pictures he cherished and that would happen again hopefully.

That thought gave him pause as he opened the building door and stepped into the cool foyer. He couldn’t remember if Nino had proposed yet or not so he’d need to play it cool until he knew for sure. He would hate to give it away.

Actually everything with Nino and Alya would be difficult. What if he started talking about things they hadn’t done together yet? Would they realize he wasn’t the same Adrien who’d left that morning? Was he really going to be able to pull this off?

And in the back of his head, a very small voice was still quite insistent that any moment, he was going to wake up and find out this had all be some terrible fever dream he had as a way of coping with Ladybug’s death.

He pushed that thought away and took the lift up to his apartment. Nino and Alya were cuddled on the couch watching the news when he came in.

“You’re just in time. Your girlfriend’s on TV again,” Nino quipped and turned up the volume.

Adrien fell into his favorite chair and felt a rush of nostalgia. He missed this chair. He’d left it for his friends when he moved out into his own place so they could live alone as newlyweds. “What’s going on?”

“She just helped save a family from that building.” Alya was already on her phone and no doubt making a new post for her Ladybug fan blog. 

“It was on fire and everything,” Nino added. “They just got it out right before you walked in. She really is a badass.”

There were shots of a news crew trying to flag Ladybug down for an interview but as soon as she saw them, she was slinging her yoyo out and swinging away. 

“Do you guys remember when she used to be all bright and smiley and would talk to people all the time?” Alya stood and went for the kitchen, dropping her phone on the coffee table. “Losing Chat Noir really messed her up, huh?”

Nino turned to watch her open the fridge. “I kinda get it though. If anything ever happened to you, I’d never be the same.”

She looked back at him with a soft expression. “Me neither.”

Adrien cleared his throat and pushed off of the chair. “I think I’m going to go up to the roof for a while.”

“Hoping to catch a glance?” Alya teased, returning to the couch with two beers.

“Something like that.”

“Enjoy.”  
______________________________

Adrien was getting ready to give up and call his first day in the past a wash when a flash of red on the skyline caught his eye. He followed her path as Ladybug swung closer and closer and as soon as he thought he had a shot, he called out. 

“Hey, Ladybug! Excuse me!” He leaned over the brick ledge around the roof and waved his hand. 

She stopped on the next building rooftop and glanced around warily. “Is everything okay?”

He blinked. “Oh, yeah! Sorry. I didn’t mean to...there’s no emergency or anything.”

“I should be going then.”

“Wait!” Adrien flung his hand out again when he saw her ready her yoyo and he almost lost his balance. He slapped his palm down on the rough brick to steady himself and felt the instant sting of scraped skin. “Sorry,” he winced. “I just, uh, I just wanted to say thank you for everything you do.”

She seemed taken aback. “Oh, you’re...you’re welcome.”

He gave her a tentative smile. “I’m not sure if you hear that enough so I just wanted you to know that I appreciate you being our hero.” He was pleased to see the shadow of a smile before she ducked her head shyly.

“Thank you, Mr. Agreste.”

“You know who I am?” he asked, eyes a little wide.

She let out a short laugh and it seemed to surprise her but she turned to nod at a huge billboard of him just visible on the other side of the building where she stood. “I think everyone in the city does at this point.”

“Well, that’s humiliating,” he mumbled, feeling his face warm.

Ladybug’s smile was a little more pronounced this time as she held her yoyo. “Have a good night, Mr. Agreste.”

“Adrien. Please call me Adrien, Ladybug.”

“Have a good night, Adrien,” she said and then she was gone.


	4. Model

“I didn’t expect someone so famous to spend most nights on a shared roof stargazing alone.”

Adrien jumped and turned away from the small ledge wall he’d been leaning against to see Ladybug perched on top of the brick hut that housed the access door. He’d been spending every night he could up on the roof hoping to get another meeting with her but it had been almost two weeks with no sign of the hero and now she was sitting there looking at him as if she expected an answer. 

He cleared his throat. “I, uh...I’m not really famous, you know. I just model for the advertisements.”

The corner of her lips tugged upward but it wasn’t quite a smile. “Your picture is everywhere. I think that makes you a famous model.”

“My father’s the famous one. I may as well be another article of clothing.” He shot for a self-deprecating smile but he wasn’t sure if he nailed it from the expression she gave him. “Are you having a good night?”

She ignored his question. “Do you live here?”

Adrien nodded. “I share a flat with my best friend, well, and his girlfriend really.”

“The third wheel then.”

He blinked. “Yeah, I guess I am sometimes.”

This time he did see a smile, though still small. “I know the feeling,” she said and adjusted into a seated position with her legs hanging off the side in front of the door. “Are the places nice?”

“I like our place,” he nodded. “I haven’t seen any others. I don’t know how much longer I’ll be here though.” He glanced around as if it wasn’t only the two of them on the rooftop and lowered his voice. “I have a feeling Nino is going to propose soon and I don’t want to be that much of a third wheel.”

Her brow furrowed and she stood. “I need to get going.”

“Oh, uh, okay.” He took a few steps towards the door and looked up at her. “Do you think you’ll stop by again soon?”

Ladybug tilted her head and studied him. “Have you been waiting on me up here? I see you out a lot.”

So she’d seen him but he hadn’t spotted her all these times. Adrien felt the blush creeping up his neck. “Maybe a little.”

“Why?”

He decided the truth was the best way to go, at least part of the truth anyway. “I guess you just seem lonely. I’m lonely too so I know the symptoms.” He shrugged and offered her a helpless smile. “We could be friends.”

“Friends are a luxury I can’t really afford anymore.” She looked sad as she unhooked her yoyo. “Have a good night, Adrien.”

“You too, Ladybug. I hope to see you again soon.”

She glanced back at him with a frown before swinging away.


	5. Damsel

Like clockwork, Adrien Agreste appeared on the roof of his building and took up his post looking out over the city. Ladybug watched him from the large satellite dish a building away she’d taken residence on most nights for the sport of model watching. He’d said he could be a friend and apparently he was persistent. Surely he wasn’t up there looking for her every night though.

But if not, what else was he doing?

It was tempting to go talk to him again. He had a pretty smile and his presence felt...comfortable. She frowned. That didn’t seem right. She didn’t even know him. 

She couldn’t deny the attraction she felt for him though. She’d found herself going out of her way to pass his billboards on the way home. He really did have the nicest smile. 

She looked down at her hands and could almost see the paw print tattooed on the inside of her left wrist. The impulse to go speak to Adrien withered and she leaned into the curve of the satellite dish. She’d promised herself she wouldn’t put anyone else in danger. Just because this handsome man wanted her attention didn’t mean she was at liberty to give it. She had a job to do and he needed to be protected as much as any other citizen of Paris.

An unseasonably cool breeze whipped past her and she hugged herself. It’d been a nice thought though, having a friend.  
______________________________

Adrien was getting nervous. It’d a been a month since the last time he spoke with Ladybug. On paper, he still had plenty of time but it didn’t feel that way. His mind constantly raced with the possibility of watching everything happen exactly the same way he’d already seen it and this little trip into the past being for nothing. He couldn’t let that happen.

“It might be too much to stage a crime,” he murmured to himself as he scratched at a loose pebble stuck in a divet of one of the bricks. “But I’d probably get to see her that way.”

“I don’t do many jail calls.”

He spun to see Ladybug once again perched on top of the hut for the roof access door. He felt like he might jump out of his skin with relief. “You’re here.”

“And you don’t give up.” She sat down and swung her legs over the side, looking down at him. “Would you really stage a crime just to see me?”

“It’s crossed my mind,” he admitted. “But I don’t think I could bring myself to do anything too bad. How do you feel about graffiti?”

She ducked her head to hide a smile. “Damaging private property is a big no-no.”

“Ah.”

“Why?”

He frowned in confusion. “What?”

“Why do you keep trying to talk to me?” she pushed.

“Can you come down here? It’s kind of hard to look up like this.” Adrien smiled hopefully and tried to look as non-threatening as possible.

She pursed her lips and stood. For a moment he thought she was going to take off but then she was dropping down gracefully and moving past him to sit on an overturned crate. “Better?”

“Much, thank you.”

“Now talk.”

“I told you; I want to be your friend.”

“I could be a terrible person and you would have no idea so that can’t be true. People don’t decide to make a mission to be friends with total strangers for no reason. Tell me the truth. Why are you up here every night? There’s something you’re waiting on and I can’t believe it’s me.” She crossed her arms. 

“Why wouldn’t it be you?”

“You don’t know me,” she reiterated. “I’m not sure if you’ve gotten it into your head that I’m some damsel in distress or some lonely loser but--”

“No!” He threw out a hand to cut her off. “I don’t think that at all.”

“Then why?”

Adrien shook his head. “You’re not going to believe me.”

Ladybug’s brow rose beneath her mask. “Try me.”

He took in a deep breath. Maybe the worst case scenario would be she thought he was crazy. “I’m from the future and I’m here to save your life.”


	6. Working Together

“Ah, so you’re crazy then.” Ladybug sighed heavily. “Have a good night, Adrien.” She turned to go and he reached out, desperately grabbing her arm. She spun and glared at his hand.

“Sorry! Sorry,” he flushed and immediately released his grasp. “But I really need you to believe me. Your bunny friend from the future is the one who brought me back here.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t have a bunny friend.”

“But...she said she was one of the good guys.”

“Did this bunny friend happen to have a straight jacket because maybe--”

“I’m not crazy!” His outburst surprised even him and he shrunk in on himself. “Look, I witnessed one of the worst things I’ve ever seen and it happened to you. It was heartbreaking and then this...this hero comes out of nowhere and says I can come back and prevent it from happening.” He dared a glance at her. “She said I could save you.” Ladybug still didn’t look convinced but at least she wasn’t actively trying to leave now.

“What happened?”

Adrien swallowed thickly. “You died.”

She seemed to take that in stride. “In a fight?”

“There’s a new villain coming and you just...”

“I wasn’t good enough,” she finished. “Won’t be the first time.”

“Well, I don’t want it to be the last time. Wait, no, that’s not...” His shoulders slumped. “Do you believe me?”

“No.”

“Ah.”

She studied him. “But tell me more about this bunny.”

“I don’t know. It all happened so fast. She had this umbrella wand thing that opened these bright circles. I guess they were portals. We came through one to get here.”

Her focus sharpened. “Go on.”

“That’s really all I know,” he admitted. “She didn’t exactly stick around and give me her life story.”

“So there was a woman dressed as a bunny who could travel through time?”

“Maybe I really am crazy.” He shook his head. “I’m probably having some fever dream due to post traumatic stress from seeing the real Ladybug die and this is my way of coping.”

“You were a psychology major, weren’t you?”

He blinked. “It was one of my concentrations, yeah. Why?”

“You sound like someone I used to know.” Ladybug stepped back to lean against the short brick wall. “I believe you.”

“What? You do?”

She nodded. “The Rabbit Miraculous deals with time travel. I’ve studied all of the Miraculous to know what I’m dealing with if one falls into the wrong hands. No one is using it right now but that doesn’t mean someone in the future doesn’t get it and try to come back and fix things.” She turned her head to look out over the city. “I’m not sure why I’m the one she’s choosing to try to save though.”

The thought of asking about Chat Noir nagged at his mind but Adrien kept it to himself. She’d only just started showing the smallest sign of trust in him. He didn’t want to push. Not yet. 

“So when do I die?” Ladybug fixed him with a calm look that didn’t fit the question.

“Not for a very long time if I can help it.” He straightened and tried to look confident. “I’m here to protect you.”

“And how are you going to do that?”

“Any way I can.” He faltered but hoped it didn’t show. He honestly wasn’t sure what to do next.

She offered him her hand. “Then it doesn’t seem like I’m going to be able to shake you. Welcome to the team, I guess.”


	7. Fencing

Now that Ladybug wasn’t actively avoiding him, Adrien found it much easier to enjoy reliving his past. He didn’t remember a lot of the mundane things but there were a few instances he felt he’d been able to make better this time around.

He reminded his father that Nathalie’s birthday was coming up and this time Gabriel didn’t forget and make her work late so Nathalie didn’t retaliate with taking an unscheduled week off work that had previously left Gabriel close to a nervous breakdown in the middle of a production phase. 

Adrien knew Nino’s spontaneous proposal was going to get rained out but he’d heard Alya tell the story fondly so many times that he still let it happen. Nino ran through the rain anyway because he just couldn’t wait for the actual proposal he’d planned just like before. This time Adrien knew where to be to get pictures for them though and that would be a surprise he would give them at the wedding.

He’d started keeping a mental tally of all the times he made Ladybug smile. Her smiles were few and far between and usually more wry than happy but it felt like he was making progress. She’d come to visit with him almost every other night the last month and he was beginning to believe that part of the reason he was sent back was to give her someone to talk to, though she never said too much. She kept coming back so he kept telling her about his life. He would share the things that went the same and went different this time around and she seemed to enjoy Nino and Alya’s engagement story. After months of worrying, things finally felt on track.  
______________________

“I saw you fencing today.”

Adrien noticed that Ladybug rarely said hello when she dropped in to see him. She immediately jumped into a conversation. He wondered why that was. “You did?” He turned to smile at her. “Were you by the school?”

She nodded. “You seem a little old to be taking lessons though.” Her mask rose as her mouth quirked in a not quite smile.

His grin widened. “I used to study there when I was younger and I was recently hired on as an assistant.”

“Something to do between modeling gigs?”

“I enjoy it and it keeps me active.” He rolled his shoulder. “Though I’ll admit I’m a little rusty. One of the kids kicked my ass today.”

“I saw that too.”

There was a shadow of a smile and Adrien made a note of it in his mental tally.

“If you’re rusty, then I’m guessing this is one of the things you’re doing differently this time around?”

He felt his ears warm. “Yeah. I thought it might be good for me to have more practice in a fighting technique.”

“Mmhmm.” She made the hum sound accusatory.

“In case you need me,” he added.

“I see.”

“Because you might.”

“Because I’m going to die.”

Adrien scowled. “Not this time.”

Ladybug folded down to the lounger Adrien had brought up for her with a sigh. “Sorry. I’m feeling off today. It’s a...it’s the anniversary of something that’s hard to think about. I might not be much fun to be around.”

“I don’t mind.” He sat down on his own lounger and looked out at the setting sun. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

“Maybe. But I don’t know.”

Adrien mulled that over. “Hey, Ladybug?”

“Hmm?”

“Will you tell me what happened to Chat Noir?”


	8. Valentine

“Everyone knows what happened to Chat Noir,” Ladybug said quietly. She clasped her hands together tightly, fingertips digging into her knuckles so hard that the fabric of her gloves bunched beneath them. “He died.”

“Right. Sorry.” Adrien bit down on his bottom lip. He probably shouldn’t have brought it up, but she wasn’t running away so that felt like a good thing at least. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.” He glanced up to see her lips squeeze together in a tight line. She blinked once, twice and there was a sheen to her eyes that hadn’t been there before. 

Her voice was hoarse when she finally spoke. “Could I though?”

He sat up a little straighter and nodded. “Of course.”

She didn’t meet his eyes, choosing instead to continue looking at her hands. “I know there are a lot of rumors that we were dating,” she began, voice soft. “We weren’t though. He was my best friend.” She swallowed audibly and took a long pause. “He didn’t love the spotlight but he was good at what he did. We watched each other’s backs.” She broke down then and covered her face. Her shoulders shook but her cries were quiet, muffled, as if she didn’t want Adrien to hear.

Hoping he was making the right move, Adrien went to her lounger and put an arm around her shoulders. She stiffened under his touch at first and then she was curling towards him, her sobs growing louder as she pressed her face against his shoulder. They stayed like that until she was mostly quiet. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean...I shouldn’t have brought him up.”

Ladybug shook her head and pulled away from him to put distance between them again. She wiped at her eyes and Adrien couldn’t help but be impressed with the magic that kept her mask in place. “No, this is...this is good actually. You need to know why we can’t really be friends.”

Adrien frowned. “I thought we were friends.” He wasn’t sure if she ignored him or didn’t hear him but she continued speaking.

“His name was Felix. Chat Noir’s,” she clarified. “I introduced him to my older sister and they fell in love instantly.” Her eyes got a distant look in them and a sad smile formed on her lips. “They were going to get married on Valentine’s Day. Bri lived for romance and Felix barely tolerated it but somehow it worked for them.” Her voice cracked but she swallowed and pushed on. “And then we had the chance to take down Le Paon Royale and we both agreed that we had to go for it no matter what.”

“I remember that fight,” Adrien said when he saw new tears fill her eyes. “It was devastating.”

“He saved me,” she whispered. “He knew if he used Cataclysm, it would end the fight but the building would crush him and Paon. There was this whole magical element and the city was going to be destroyed and...” She exhaled slowly. “He knocked me out and left me outside so he could finish the fight alone even though we...we promised we would always stay together until the end.” She was wiping at her eyes again. “He didn’t have any family so we never released his name. My parents and...and Bri and some close friends held a small service while the city mourned their hero.” Her voice became brittle with a bitter edge. “People didn’t know him. They had this idea of him and to hear all the stories on the news...” She trailed off and shook her head. “He would’ve hated all of it.”

Adrien reached for her hand and she pulled it away. He dropped his back down on his lap without comment.

“Bri doesn’t speak to me anymore. I think she could’ve lived with losing me but losing him broke her. I don’t...” She trailed off and swallowed hard and then finally met Adrien’s eyes. “I can’t be close to anyone. You see that, don’t you? It’s been a mistake coming here.” She didn’t make any move to stand despite her words.

“I know you don’t really know me,” he said, keeping his voice gentle. “And I would never pretend like I can be some substitute for him,” he eyed her hesitantly, gauging her reaction to his words, “but I want to be here for you, Ladybug, in any capacity you need. I don’t want you to be lonely anymore.”

“I’m not...” She frowned as if trying to force the words out. “I’m not lonely.”

Adrien shrugged helplessly. “It takes one to know one. I have a handful of friends but even my best friend loves someone else more than me.” He laughed but there was no humor in the sound. “I love Nino and Alya but it’s hard not to feel left out. I’m so happy for them but it’s still...”

“Lonely,” Ladybug finished flatly.

“Yeah.”

“You’ll probably get hurt.”

He was confused at first, his mind still on his roommates. “What?”

“I’m not an easy person to be around.”

“I could argue that.” Adrien shot her an easy smile. “Seeing you is the highlight of my day. I just try to get through the other stuff so I can get here.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand that.”

“That’s okay.”

“You really want to be my friend?” she asked, slightly incredulous. 

“I’m not sure why you’re finding it so hard to believe, but yeah, I really want to be your friend.” He smiled again. “I wanna be here for you.”

“It doesn’t make you mad that someone plucked you out of your life and sent you back here like this?”

“Let’s just say the second time around has been a lot better than the first and you’re mostly to blame.”

She scoffed. “I haven’t been even a little pleasant to you.”

He shrugged again and she narrowed her eyes.

“I don’t get you, Adrien Agreste.”

“Then I guess you’ll just have to spend some more time with me until you do,” he beamed.


	9. Clumsy

“Do you like sweets?” Ladybug asked as soon as she appeared on the rooftop.

Adrien looked up from the book he’d been reading to grin at her. “I like you, don’t I?”

Her brow raised beneath her mask and she turned on her heel, stalking to the edge of the roof. “I’m leaving.”

“Wait! No, I take it back.” He laughed as he hurried after her and took the bakery box she shoved at his chest. “Thank you?”

She huffed and dropped down onto her lounger. The comfortable movement made Adrien’s heart swell and he joined her, taking his lounger once more and setting the box between his legs. 

“This is so nice.”

“They’re just leftovers and ruins. My family runs a bakery.”

“The one on Rue Gotlib? Because that place is amazing.” He opened the box and rubbed his hands together in delight.

She sat up too quickly. “What? No, of course not.”

“Then you just stole a box from there to put leftover pastries in?” He flipped the lid back down to show the small logo in the bottom right corner. 

“Damn it. I thought I got one of the blank ones. I was in a hurry.” She blew out a puff of air. “Don’t look any more into it, okay?”

“You know you can trust me.” Adrien selected a raspberry macaron with a cracked top and bit into it. He hummed happily as he chewed. 

“It’s not safe.” Ladybug reclined once more and exhaled softly. “If there was a threat like Paon around these days, I wouldn’t even be doing this with you.”

“So what do you do when you aren’t hanging out with me?” Adrien tore off a piece of a semi-stale croissant and bit into it. 

“I keep an eye on the city, help the police when they need it.”

“Try to pay penance for Chat?” he offered.

She fixed him with a glare but it was short lived. “Something like that.”

“So you’ve got a hero complex.” Adrien held up the book he’d set aside when she arrived. “To be fair though, I might have one too.”

“What is that?”

He dropped the book back to his side and returned his attention to the pastry box. “One of my old psychology textbooks. I went by my dad’s house and picked them up today.”

“So you could psychoanalyze me?” Her tone was rough but she leaned over and picked a cookie out of the box. 

“More like psychoanalyze myself. There’s still a chance this is all a really crazy fever dream.”

A smile threatened her lips. “There is that.” She bit into the cookie and chewed thoughtfully. “I think I want to take you to meet someone.”

“Who?”

“I’ll tell you if I fully decide to take you.”

Adrien grinned. “A field trip? I’m in.”

“Somehow I thought you would be.” Ladybug leaned over to grab another cookie and lost her balance. She fell forward with a squeak and Adrien caught her by the arms before she could go face first into his lap. The bakery box spilled off to the other side of his legs, its contents crumbling against the rooftop.

They stared at each other for a long second and then Ladybug was righting herself and pulling away with a nervous laugh. “Sorry. I can be a little...I’m just...I get clumsy sometimes.” A blush leaked out beneath her mask, the dark pink contrasting with the bright red. 

“Don’t worry. It’s a very graceful clumsy,” Adrien assured her. He leaned over and scooped the fallen pastries back into the box and pulled it onto his lap.

“Please don’t tell me you’re still going to eat those,” she frowned. 

“Okay, I won’t,” he smirked and pulled out a smashed macaron. “I can keep a secret.” He popped it into his mouth and watched her try not to smile before she finally gave up and shook her head and Adrien added that smile to his favorites list.


	10. Oblivous

Ladybug watched Adrien walk his students through a move, his face a mask of patience. This had become one of her favorite pastimes when she could swing it, watching him teach fencing. She was perched on the roof of the school and putting the great big skylights to use as she peered in. He laughed at something an obviously frustrated student said and began the motions again in a slower manner.

At first, she’d started watching him to try to figure him out. She still wasn’t sure she bought the whole savior from the future thing but he’d given her no reason to doubt he was telling the absolute truth, no matter how crazy it seemed. She had to admit that her suspicions that this was all a ruse had become miniscule and she couldn’t blame detective work on her continued visits while he taught.

It was getting pathetic really. She spent most nights on the rooftop of his building with him as it was and now she was using any spare moments she could squeeze in from work to watch him without his knowledge. She was pretty sure it was edging on stalker territory.

Ladybug huffed and turned away from the skylight. She leaned back against the frame and rested her head on the glass. If Felix could see her now, he would tease her mercilessly. She was surprised to find that thought brought a smile to her face instead of a frown. Felix would’ve enjoyed giving Adrien a hard time and Adrien was amicable enough to get along with him. She felt the bittersweet pang of things that could never be and took in a deep breath.

Since Adrien’s arrival, thinking about Felix hurt a little less. It had helped to talk about him. She’d even been tempted to call Bri, though her courage hadn’t quite reached that level yet. She’d forgotten how nice it was to have a friend. It changed how she felt when she woke in the morning and she found herself smiling during the day from a memory with Adrien. It had also made her start missing the friends she gave up after losing Felix and closing herself off.

She ate up any news Adrien happened to spill about Alya and Nino. She still hadn’t told him that she knew them personally...or had known them at any rate. It’d been at least a year or so since she last spoke to Alya. She was happy to know they were still together though and getting married. They’d always seemed so right for each other.

Ladybug turned her head to peek in again and realized the class was over and the recreational room was empty. Her heart dropped at missing her chance to see Adrien one last time for the day. He’d told her he had dinner with his father and wasn’t sure when he would be home so it was best not to wait on him.

She went to the ledge to sling out her yoyo when she heard Adrien’s laugh. She spotted him on the steps below. He was talking with who she assumed was a parent of the child standing between them and his face wore its usual pleasant smile. She wondered what kind of smile he would give her without her spots.

Before she could overthink it, Ladybug went to the other side of the roof and dropped down to the alley. She let her transformation fall away and straightened her clothes. She felt nervous which was silly. She wasn’t going to tell Adrien who she was and he wouldn’t be able to figure it out. She just wanted to see what he was like around her like this. That was a normal wonder, wasn’t it?

“You have no right to call anything you do concerning him normal,” a little voice in her head shot back.

Marinette ignored it and left the alley, rounding the building with what she hoped was an air of nonchalance. There was a car pulling away and Adrien stood alone by the steps, his attention on his phone. She hastily pulled her phone out too and concentrated on it as she veered towards him.

“This is so stupid. Abort, abort!” her mind screamed as she stumbled into his back and her phone fell to the ground.

Adrien barely moved from the impact but turned around with an apology on his lips anyway. “Oh geez, I’m sorry. Let me get that for you.” He leaned down and picked up the phone. “You must be lucky. Not even a scratch.”

Marinette saw his brows knit together when he finally met her eyes and she quickly took the offered phone with a mumbled thanks and nod of her head. “Sorry. I wasn’t watching where I was going and...”

“It’s no problem.” He tilted his head curiously. “Do I know you? You seem familiar.” 

She met his gaze and tucked her hair behind one ear, thumbnail smoothing across the dark stone of her earring. “Maybe I just have one of those faces.”

He held out his hand. “I’m Adrien.”

Marinette fumbled with her phone for a second and felt a blush creeping up her neck. “Marinette,” she replied weakly. “I should get going. Sorry again.” She stepped past him and tried not to visibly hurry away.

“Oh, uh, nice meeting you!” he called out. There was an edge of confusion to his voice and Marinette was tempted to bop herself in the forehead for her stupidity. Now she definitely couldn’t ever see him again without her mask. She’d die of embarrassment.


	11. Innocent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, thank you guys so much for all the sweet comments on this AU! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. I don't write Ladrien nearly enough and I'm having a lot of fun with this dynamic <3

“I’m not so sure this is a good idea.” Ladybug looked toward the closed bedroom door warily. 

“If you’re worried about Nino or Alya, they won’t come in here without knocking. Besides, I told them I had a date so they’ll steer clear. They’ve made it known they think I should get a girlfriend.” Adrien laughed it off even as his cheeks darkened. “It’s raining tonight so we would’ve gotten soaked on the roof and I still really wanted to hang out. Here.” He handed her a towel.

She frowned and took it, wiping at her damp hair from running over in the storm. “This isn’t a date.”

“Of course not.” He scratched the back of his neck nervously. “That’s just what I told them for a cover.” He busied himself with straightening up his already neat desk. “Do you want me to order a pizza or something? We could watch a movie if you want. Sorry this isn’t the biggest space.”

“I think it’s nice.” She tried to force herself to relax where she perched on the edge of his bed. “It feels cozy.”

Adrien beamed at her. “I like it too. It’s the first place I’ve actually been able to set up how I wanted.”

“Oh yeah?”

He nodded. “Growing up, my dad filled my room with all this stuff to keep me entertained. It was a very pretty cage.” He laughed again but there was no feeling behind it. “Thankfully he didn’t fight me too much when I graduated and was ready to get out on my own.” He held up a finger. “On the stipulation that I still work for him, of course.”

“Can’t lose his prettiest model after all.” Ladybug inhaled sharply and bit her lip. “Sorry, that was, uh...forget I said it.”

“I doubt I’ll be forgetting you said I was pretty,” Adrien winked, “but I suppose I can drop it for now. What do you like on your pizza?”  
___

Ladybug’s heart was hammering in her chest as she tried to appear calm. She and Adrien were both sitting against the headboard of his bed and watching a movie, though she couldn’t for the life of her remember what it was supposed to be about. Her attention was very narrowly focused on the innocent hand sitting in the space between them. 

Adrien’s hand lay palm up, the fingers partly curled. He had nice fingernails and she wondered if he got manicures. It wouldn’t be surprising with his line of work. Ladybug could feel the skin of her palm itching beneath her glove. She wanted to reach out and slide her fingers between his. She wanted to know how it felt to hold his hand. She was also tempted to lean against him to see if he would wrap his arm around her and pull her close but that definitely wasn’t happening. 

She stiffened when he shifted slightly and he looked over at her with a soft smile. “Do you like it?”

Ladybug blinked and prayed her mask was covering the blush she could feel burning her cheeks. “Like what?”

Adrien scrunched his nose in an almost laugh. “The movie.”

“Oh! Uh, sure, it’s fine.”

His smile wilted a little but he nodded and returned his attention to the screen.

The credits couldn’t have come soon enough and Ladybug was hopping up off the bed as soon as the line of actors’ names began to appear. “I should probably be going.”

“Oh, right.” Adrien stood with her and followed her to the window. “It’s still coming down pretty hard. Do you have an umbrella or anything?”

“I’ll be okay.” She unhooked her yoyo and reached for the bottom of the window to open it but paused when he spoke again.

“Or...or you could stay here if you want. I can go sleep on the couch.”

“I can’t do that,” she said quickly. “But, um...” Steeling her resolve, she leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. Tonight was really special.” Before Adrien could stop her, she pushed open the window and slipped out onto the fire escape and into the night.


	12. Future

“You aren’t going to see Adrien tonight?” Tikki asked. She watched raindrops splatter against the window before turning back to her holder.

“No.” Marinette pulled a fluffy blanket up into her lap. “It’s raining again. It’s just better this way.”

“Hmmm.”

“What?”

Tikki blinked big, faux innocent eyes. “It’s nothing. I should keep my opinions of your social life to myself. You’ve made that quite clear.”

Marinette scowled. “Just say what you want to say.”

“Really?”

She pulled the blanket further up and curled the end of it over her fists so she could cover the lower half of her face. “Yes,” she mumbled into the fluffy fabric.

“I think that spending time with Adrien has done you a lot of good and now you’re getting scared because you’re realizing you have feelings towards him.” The kwami crossed her little arms. “You need to start enjoying your life again, Marinette. You know you do.”

“I’m scared,” she whispered, the words muffled by the blanket.

Tikki flitted closer, landing on her knees. She gave her holder a gentle smile. “I know you are and I know you have good reason to be, but Felix would’ve never wanted you to be like this. He saved your life, Marinette. He wanted you to enjoy a future, not just endure it.”

She felt her eyes sting with tears. “What if Adrien gets hurt because of me?”

“I can’t promise he won’t. I wish I could.” Tikki ventured closer and nuzzled her cheek, pushing the blanket down. “But I think he’s someone who can and will stand by your side and maybe it’s what you both need.”

Marinette wiped at her eyes and looked out the dark window. “I’m already late. He won’t be expecting me now.”

Tikki tried to reign in her smile. “Somehow I don’t think he’ll mind.”  
___

Ladybug could hardly see through the downpour as she stumbled on the fire escape. She was trying to decide if she still needed to go down a flight or two when the light of the room in front of her turned on and Adrien was opening the window with wide eyes. 

“Ladybug?”

“Hi,” she waved weakly. “Want to hang out?”

He laughed and immediately pushed the window up further and stepped back, offering her a hand as she clambered in. “If I’d known you were coming, I’d been more prepared. Hang on.”

Ladybug stood as still as she could as a puddle of rainwater formed at her feet. “I’m getting everything wet,” she said miserably. “I knew this was a bad idea. I can go if--”

“Don’t you dare. Here’s the towel from last night. Let me go grab a couple of fresh ones from the bathroom.” He handed her the towel and slipped out of the room, partly closing the door behind him. 

She stared at the crack in the door as if at any minute her former best friend was going to rush in and accuse her of being an awful person for abandoning her but when the door opened, it was Adrien again with two folded towels and a bright smile.

“Here you go. Do you need more?” 

Ladybug saw the way he attempted to avert his eyes as she tried to towel-dry her suit and appreciated the gesture. After a few moments of working on the slick material, she sighed and held the towel limply in her hand. “I don’t think this is going to do much.”

“Oh, uh, well...” He looked back at his dresser. “I have some clothes but...”

She reached for his hand and he turned back to her with wide eyes. “I can trust you, right, Adrien?” 

He swallowed audibly. “Of...of course. I’d do anything for you.”

His words hit her like a wrecking ball and she pushed the sensation away to analyze later. “Okay, um, here.” She handed him the towel and took a small step back. She dropped her transformation and felt Tikki disappear into her purse. She looked down to see the kwami give her a warm smile before she had the courage to meet Adrien’s eyes.

He let out a soft exhale. “Hi.”

“Hi.” She bit her lip. “I’m Marinette.”

“I think we’ve already met,” he teased. “You tricked me.”

“It wasn’t a trick...not really.” Her cheeks warmed and she ducked her head. “I was curious, that’s all.”

“And I guess I passed the test?” He looked so hopeful that it made her heart clench.

Marinette nodded. 

“And you’re all dry now which is so cool.” He reached out to finger the ends of her hair hanging down past her shoulder as if without thought. “It’s like magic.”

She was finding it hard to breath with him so close like this but she fought through it. “And now I’m remembering I was in my pajamas when I left so that’s embarrassing.”

“I think they’re cute. I guess we could have a slumber party.” He stepped back and tugged at the hem of his shirt. “I’m in my jammies too.”

“Do you maybe want to watch another movie?” she asked shyly.

“I’d love to.” There was so much warmth in his tone that Marinette doubted she would ever feel cold again.


	13. Meeting Gabriel

Marinette rose to awareness slowly. She was in the warm, sleepy space where she could have woken up completely or kept sleeping for a few hours still. She cuddled back into the firm presence behind her and then her eyes flew open. She bolted upright with a gasp and looked back to see a sleep-rumbled Adrien blink at her slowly. 

“Are you okay?” he croaked, voice raspy with sleep.

“I didn’t mean to stay over,” she whispered.

“I’m glad you did.” He smiled dreamily and his eyes slid shut for a few seconds. “It’s early,” he rumbled and reached out for her.

She let him pull her back down to the bed and finally relaxed into his hold when she heard his breathing even out again. She’d slept in Adrien’s bed. He’d held her through the night, was still holding her now. Marinette took in a deep, calming breath. This was going to be okay. She could allow herself this.

She was feeling too wired to fall back asleep so she took her time glancing around the room to see what she could spot from her vantage point. Adrien had a few framed photos on the wall. She spotted Nino and Alya in a couple and one that was obviously a family portrait from the stiff position of each person. There was a framed art piece right beside a bookshelf. The shelf was filled with books, DVDs, and action figures from what she could tell. She’d have to be closer to see, but she thought she spotted the telltale red and black of the Ladybug action figure that had been released a few years ago. It made her feel warm and bubbly.

She fell into a dozing state after a few minutes and only jolted awake again when an alarm went off and Adrien groaned. “I don’t want to go to work,” he mumbled, pressing his face into her hair.

Marinette tried not to shiver in delight at how nice it felt. “Fencing or modeling?”

“Photoshoot. I wanna call in sick and stay here with you.” He pulled back with a sigh and she rolled onto her back so she could see him. “That’d be really irresponsible though.”

“Well, I can’t stay here so does that help?”

He stuck out his bottom lip. “No.”

“Poor model boy.”

“Hey, that’s model man.” He yawned and stretched his arms up over his head. “What do you have going on today?”

“Work.”

He seemed surprised. “Oh. I guess I didn’t really think about you having a job.”

“Being Ladybug doesn’t actually pay any bills.” She shrugged as she sat up in the bed and he followed her. 

“Where do you work?”

She quirked a brow. “If I tell you, are you going to try to show up there?”

“Maybe,” he grinned.

“Then I’ll just keep it my little secret.”

Adrien fell back to his pillow with a groan. “So mean.”

“Surely you get enough of me as it is,” she teased. She got out of the bed and quickly swept her hair into a ponytail. She fished a holder out of her purse and gave Tikki a finger tap as she did. 

“I could never.” Adrien sat up again. “Well, if you get bored after work, I’ll be at the shoot all day and night most likely. You could stop by. I can text you the address.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”

“We could do it old school style and you can let me know when you’re there and I’ll meet you on the roof for a break.” He fluttered his lashes. “Pretty please.”

“Good grief.” Her resolve was becoming nonexistent where Adrien was concerned and she pulled her phone out of her purse and handed it to him after unlocking it. “Program your number in.”

“Big step.”

“Mmm.”

When he handed her phone back, he covered her hand with his. “Thank you,” he said, voice soft. “This really does mean the world to me.”

She couldn’t find her voice so she only nodded, hoping he understood that she felt the same way. She brought up her transformation and slipped out the window before she could let him convince her to actually stay.  
___

“I can’t believe that happened.” Ladybug covered her face with her hands to try to hide from her embarrassment. “Your dad is going to think I’m an idiot.”

Adrien chuckled and waved a hand. “He thinks everyone’s an idiot so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. You just know he doesn’t think I have a lot going on upstairs.”

She peeked out at him through her gloved fingers. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“A little,” he admitted. “But it really wasn’t a big deal.”

“He caught us making out and then watched me fumble backwards and fall off the roof!”

“You caught yourself really quick though! And the making out was very surprising but very, very nice,” he promised.

“Adrien...”

“Okay, it wasn’t the best introduction but I still don’t think it was the worst. And did I mention how nice the kissing was because I think we should circle back around to that. In fact, if you want to kiss me as soon as you see me from now on, I’m totally on board.”

Ladybug shook her head and couldn’t help the smile that was tugging on her mouth. “You just...I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Make me so happy,” she sighed. “And for the record, the kissing was an accident.”

“Sure,” he nodded. “I accidentally kiss people all the time.”

She pushed on his chest playfully. “I just meant...it wasn’t planned but then I saw you and you look so nice...” She gently snapped the suspenders he was wearing and bit her lip. “And last night and this morning was great and I just...”

“You wanted to kiss,” Adrien finished. “Believe me when I say I get it one hundred and fifty percent.”

She stepped back carefully. “I don’t know what this means yet, for us.”

“I can be patient.”

They stared at each for a long second and then Adrien’s phone rang. He read the text message and sighed. “Looks like I need to get back down there. Will I see you later?”

“Maybe I should stay home tonight.”

He nodded. “I’ll leave the window unlocked just in case though.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Goodnight, Ladybug, Marinette. Thank you for today.”

She watched him disappear through the access door and stayed on the roof until she could calm her heart rate down. She’d fallen fast and hard and the only way now was down.


	14. Pictures

“This doesn’t mean anything,” Ladybug murmured as she dropped her transformation and slid into Adrien’s bed. She curled against him with a happy hum and Adrien chuckled sleepily and wrapped her in his arms.

“What time is it?” he whispered.

“Late. Or early, depending on how you look at it.” She yawned. “I woke up and realized I really wanted to be here.”

“You like me,” he teased and let his eyes close again.

“Nu-uh,” she sighed. “Just your bed.”

“Mmm.”

They fell into sleep for a few more hours still until Adrien shifted enough to wake them both up. 

“Hi,” he smiled, reaching out to brush stray hair behind her ear. 

Marinette put her hand over her mouth. “Hi,” she replied in a muffled voice.

“Is my breath that bad?”

“I’m afraid mine is.”

He laughed and rolled onto his back. “I think you smell wonderful all the time.”

She curled the blanket over her mouth and blinked up at him. “That’s not true but thank you.”

“I have an unopened toothbrush from the dentist in the bathroom if it’s really bothering you that much,” he offered. “It should be in the far left drawer.”

Marinette considered going to get it and then her eyes passed over one of the framed pictures of Nino and Alya on the wall and she felt her heart drop. “I’ll be fine. I don’t want to bother your roommates.”

“Are you kidding? They’ve been dying to meet my mystery friend. But I can go with you as a bodyguard if you need.” He rolled back over on his side. “I’m really glad you came over.”

“It wasn’t too creepy?”

“I’m the one who left my window unlocked for a beautiful spotted woman to find her way inside. I don’t think I get to judge the creep factor here.”

She giggled and rolled into his open arms, keeping her back to his chest so she didn’t have to worry about morning breath as much. “How was the rest of your photoshoot?”

“Extra boring once I didn’t have seeing you to look forward to.”

She shook her head. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Mmmhmm. It was fine. Same old thing. Father was interested in you though.”

Marinette flushed bright red. “Please don’t remind me.”

“He even mentioned having Ladybug be in some of the photos, if you consented, of course.”

“Wow, catching me making out with his son and then falling off the roof really did it for him, huh? I still can’t believe that happened. I’m so embarrassed.”

“Eh, don’t be. It was cute.”

“It was not,” she pouted. “It was humiliating. Our first time kissing and I...grrr!”

Adrien squeezed her. “It was amazing. I promise. I mean, the falling part was half-scary, half-funny, but the kissing part was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“Good grief.”

“I mean it!”

“I know you do. That’s why I said ‘good grief’,” she replied and turned her head to look at him. “You make me feel...I don’t know, way more special than I really am.”

“You’re the most special person in the world to me.”

“You can’t just say things like that!” She covered her face. “Can we please talk about something else?”

Adrien relented with a sigh and leaned back against his pillow. “Like what?”

“I don’t know. I need to not be so embarrassed right now. Tell me something about the future, something I don’t know.” She slowly lowered her hands. “Tell me how I die.”

He stiffened. “That’s not going to happen now so why does it matter?”

“You said Ladybug goes up against a new foe, right?”

“I don’t want to do this.” He sat up and ran his hands through his hair. “Yes, something bad is coming but...but you’re different now. You’ll fight.”

Marinette sat up too and pulled away a little. “What do you mean different now?”

“Obviously I didn’t know you then...or now,” he frowned. “The timeline is making my head hurt. Anyway, I didn’t meet you until I came back but I watched you every chance I got and it was just...it was evident on your face leading up to the last battle.”

“What was?”

“You’d given up,” he answered, voice soft. “People would theorize about it on blogs. Most assumed it was because of Chat Noir because that’s when you changed.”

She stiffened. “Is that so?”

“So when this new player came into town, you just...you fought because you always fight for us, but I don’t think you had it in you to really care.”

Marinette brushed away the angry tears brimming in her eyes and kicked her way out of the covers so she could stand. “I have to go.” She called up her transformation and went to the window.

Adrien scrambled out of the bed after her and reached for her wrist but she yanked it away. “Please don’t go, Marinette. I’m sorry. Please, let’s talk about it. I don’t think I’m saying it right.”

Ladybug held out a hand to keep him at bay. “I can’t talk to you right now. I need some time to think.”

“I’m sorry,” he pleaded. “I don’t know what I said wrong but please forgive me. Tell me and I’ll try to explain.”

She blinked against the sting of more tears and squared her shoulders. “You said you were sent back here to save me.”

He nodded quickly. “Yeah. Bunnix said I could change things this time around.”

She ground her teeth together. “So was it her idea or yours to get me to like you so I’d be happier, hmm? Can’t have the hero falling down on the job so let’s just give her a jolt with a fake relationship and then maybe that’ll keep her going just a little bit longer.”

Adrien stared at her with horror-filled eyes. “That’s not...that’s not what this is.”

She faltered at his expression but clenched her jaw and turned to the window to open. “Goodbye, Adrien.”

“Wait!” 

Ladybug was already out the window by the time he reached for her and he sat back down on the edge of his bed in a daze. “What just happened?” he whispered.


	15. Dinner

“I think I messed up, Fe,” Marinette sighed. She leaned back against the cool granite headstone and inhaled deeply. “I can’t stop seeing his face after what I said. I definitely called that wrong.”

She picked at a few blades of grass around her and tore them to shreds. “I mean, of course I did. I know I messed it up on purpose. I was reaching for a reason that it couldn’t work. That’s what I do now.”

An ant crawled over the toe of her shoe and she watched its progress. “I push everyone away because I’m terrified of losing someone else. And I know exactly what you’d say so don’t start.” She lowered her voice. “This is a textbook example of an unhealthy coping mechanism, Spots. Sort out your shit.” She exhaled softly and looked up at the darkening sky. “I just really miss you and I’m terrified of losing him now.”

“Would it be unkind to point out the obvious?” Tikki piped up from Marinette’s purse.

“That by pushing Adrien away, I’m losing him anyway?”

The kwami held out her hands in an open gesture and nodded.

“What am I even supposed to say to him? I went psycho out of nowhere.”

“You’ve been keeping things so bottled up since we lost Felix,” Tikki replied gently. “You haven’t been letting yourself feel and then Adrien shows up and refuses to give up on you and I think you got swept up in it and forgot you were trying to not feel anything at all and then it hit you at once that you were vulnerable. You just need to tell him that. Explain it, even though it won’t be easy.”

“What if he doesn’t forgive me?”

Tikki gave her a helpless look and Marinette sighed.

“Right.” She lowered her voice like Felix’s again and scowled. “Just get it done, Spots. You’re better than this.” She laughed softly and looked down at her kwami. “Thanks, Tikki. I think I know what I should do. Spots on.”  
___

Adrien stared at his phone. He’d been tempted to call Marinette all day but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wasn’t sure how he would feel if she didn’t answer so it was better not to know.

He ran over their conversation for the hundredth time as he sat at his desk. It turned so suddenly. He hated that she was upset but wasn’t sure how to fix it and there was a small part of him that was indignant about her claim. He’d fallen head over heels in love with her and she was accusing him of it all being some ploy? Did nothing he showed her feel real?

A quiet knock caught his attention and he turned his chair to see Ladybug give him a sheepish wave on the other side of the window. He had a split second temptation to turn back away and leave her out there but he was already up and crossing the room before he gave it more thought.

“Hi,” he said as he opened the window. He half squatted near the opening so she couldn’t easily climb in without knocking him over.

“Hi,” she replied, voice timid. “I, um, I need to apologize for this morning. I, uh...I brought dinner.” She held up a bulging brown paper bag. “If you’ll let me, I’d like to try to explain why I turned into such a basketcase.”

Adrien eyed the bag and then met her gaze. “You want to talk about it?”

“No,” she admitted, “but we need to.”

He nodded and stood, stepping out of the way. Ladybug climbed into the window gratefully and shut it behind her. She sat down on the floor and he followed her. They didn’t speak while she unpacked the deli bag and set the food between them. Once it was finished she took in a deep breath.

“Okay,” she said, voice shaking slightly. “So as you probably guessed, it started with losing Felix.”


	16. Blush

“There’s nothing anyone can say or do to make things right when you lose someone. They try because they feel like they need to and then you respond because that’s what you’re supposed to do but it’s all so...” Ladybug paused as if looking for the right word, “futile.”

“I know what you mean exactly,” Adrien nodded.

“You’ve lost someone too?”

He smiled sadly. “I have but this is your story. Please continue.” He picked up one of the sandwiches and took a bite, hoping that she would feel more comfortable if he wasn’t staring at her. 

“Right.” She swallowed audibly. “So there was only one other person who knew Felix was Chat Noir but Felix and I had become best friends in and out of the masks so when it was announced that he’d died in the fire, most people assumed he was another innocent bystander caught in the crosshairs.”

“Seven people died that day, didn’t they?”

She nodded. “It was...awful. I released the Cure but...but it just wasn’t enough to do more than restore the property damage. Tikki said it would’ve drained my life force to bring back even one person. A life for a life.” She shook her head. “You have no idea how much I tried to bargain with her the first few days, to trade my life for his.”

Adrien shivered at the thought that she could’ve been gone so easily. “She wouldn’t let you?”

“No, but it also wasn’t possible. I guess there’s a time threshold on things. The Cure can only go back so far after the damage is done.” 

“So in theory, if someone could keep you from using the Cure for a few days, property damage and the like would just have to be handled manually by the city?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I guess so. Thankfully I’ve never had to see. After Paon...well, things quieted down a good bit.” She pushed a chip around her makeshift plate and sighed. “Everyone wanted to give me space but I’m not sure that was what I really needed. It made it easier to pull away when it was all said it done. Friends, family...I just stopped talking to everyone. And after awhile, they stopped reaching out to me.”

Her eyes grew tight as she focused on her untouched sandwich. “I don’t blame any of them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they hate me now. No one understands why I took Felix’s death so hard. They have no idea he traded his life for mine. How could they?” She raised her gloved hand and rubbed her thumb along the one of the spots with her other hand. “And the thing is, I still can’t tell them because it could be them in danger. It’s better this way for them, safer.”

“What about for you though?” Adrien prodded. “You’ve been miserable.”

“I deserve it,” she whispered.

“I don’t believe that.” He reached out and covered her hands with one of his. “And I’m not going to let you push me away.”

She met his eyes in surprise.

“I know that’s what this morning was. I mean...a part of me knows, especially now that you’ve opened up. I’m not going to pretend like it didn’t hurt my feelings and I’m not going to say I wasn’t a little upset,” he admitted. “But I’m not going anywhere, whether you like it or not. You need me and...well, I need you.” He gave her a helpless smile. “You have no idea how much happier you’ve made me this time around. I didn’t realize how lonely I was until I had you.”

“Just because we talked tonight, it doesn’t mean things will go smoothly from now on,” she warned. “I’m still damaged.”

“Who isn’t?” He squeezed her hands and then released them and sat back. “Thank you for being honest with me. I know I can’t ever be him-- I don’t want to be him-- but I will be the best friend I possibly can be if you’ll let me,” Adrien promised.

A pretty blush melted out from beneath the red and black mask and Ladybug looked across the small space at Adrien. “And if I want you to be more that just my best friend?”

“Then I’ll take that for the honor it is,” he replied with his own blush. “You already own my heart, Ladybug. I’ll give you anything else you want.”


	17. Miraculous

Marinette knew she’d been tempting fate spending more and more nights in Adrien’s room to the point that she’d left a few articles of clothing in a drawer he’d emptied out for her. She refused to fill the whole drawer because that would’ve meant something she wasn’t quite ready for but a change or two of underwear and a few t-shirts to sleep in didn’t seem so bad, at least that’s what she convinced herself of.

Frankly, it was miraculous she hadn’t moved her entire wardrobe over. It’d been tempting but there was still the issue of trying to stay hidden.

She should’ve known she’d been too lucky so far, sneaking in and out of the bathroom down the hall when it sounded like the coast was clear. She’d finally been honest with Adrien about why she was worried about running into Alya and Nino and while he’d urged her to meet with them, he didn’t push too hard. She’d appreciated that but there’d been a small part of her that wished he had because now she wouldn’t be standing down the hall from an absolutely shocked Alya.

“What...” Alya shook her head as if Marinette was a vision that would fade away. “Marinette? What in the world are you doing here?”

She felt her skin go hot with nerves. “I, um...” She pointed sheepishly to the bedroom door only a few steps away. If only she could run in and lock the door behind her. “Adrien and I have been...well, we...”

“You’re Adrien’s mystery girlfriend?”

Marinette winced. While they hadn’t exactly gone over labels, she supposed there wasn’t any reason to deny the obvious any longer. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “Look, um, I’m really sorry. It’s been so long and I never returned your calls and you must hate me but--”

Alya held up a hand. “I don’t care about any of that. Well, no, I do but...” Her expression softened. “I’ve really missed you, girl.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered, tears stinging her eyes. “I’m so sorry.”

They met each other halfway and Alya pulled her into a hug. “Did you know I live here?”

“Yes, I’ve been an absolute coward,” Marinette answered miserably into her shoulder. “I only come out to the bathroom when I think you guys are in your room. I’ve almost had so many accidents.”

She laughed and hugged her tighter. “Are you okay? I know we haven’t talked since...” She released her hold on the other woman and took a step back.

Marinette nodded. “I think I owe you an explanation that might help clear up some of that. I wasn’t in the best state and I kinda just...I lost myself for a while.”

“Do you still like coffee?”

“I love it.”

“I know just the place then.”  
___

“I can’t believe you’re Ladybug.” Alya cupped her hands around her mug and let the heat soak into her palms. “All the things you’ve had to deal with. I wish I’d known.”

Marinette took in a shaky breath and looked around the small cafe. She and Alya had come to it every week when they’d been in school together, before graduation and then life as Ladybug got too crazy. “It wasn’t safe to tell anyone. I was just trying to protect you.”

“And you know I would’ve been trying to protect you too,” she sighed. “No wonder you disappeared after...after Felix.” She looked down at the dark liquid in her mug. “I wish I’d tried harder to stay in touch. I should have.”

Marinette shook her head. “Don’t do that. You’re not the one to blame here, Al. I would’ve just gone away further. I had too much grief and didn’t know how to handle it.”

“Still.”

She gave her a sad smile and took a sip of her latte.

Alya cleared her throat. “Well, in lighter news, tell me about you and Adrien.”

“Are you sure you want that story? It’s a little bit of a doozy,” Marinette warned.

“Hit me with it.”

“He’s the Adrien from the future and his mind was dropped into his past body so he could be sent back to save me from dying,” she deadpanned.

Alya took a long sip from her mug and set it back on the table. She then reached into her purse, pulled out her phone and opened her recording app, and set it down beside the mug. “I just have a feeling I’m going to need to hear this a few times before it sinks it.”  
___

Adrien and Nino were waiting on the rooftop when Ladybug landed with Alya still clinging to her side. 

“That was...amazing!” Alya exclaimed, throwing her hands up. “Please tell me we can do that again sometime.”

Ladybug laughed. “Anytime you want.”

“Does that mean I can have a turn too?” Nino asked with an easy grin.

“Nino, hi.” Ladybug held out her hand but the man stepped in and hugged her. 

“We’ve missed you, Mari,” he said and stepped back. “Adrien’s been filling me in this afternoon since we knew about you guys talking.”

Adrien stepped forward to kiss Ladybug’s cheek. “Good time?”

She could hear the actual question in his voice and nodded, feeling her eyes glass over with happy tears. “Really good.”

He slid his arm around her waist and they face the other couple. “Glad to hear it.”


	18. Trust

“Doesn’t it feel like we’re all part of some secret society now?” Nino set the four beers he’d brought from the kitchen on the coffee table. “Like, we’re the only people in the world who know who Ladybug is. It’s awesome.” He frowned and looked at Marinette. “Wait, we are the only people, right?”

“Well, technically two other people know,” she answered with a small frown, “but still a pretty exclusive club.”

“Well, we appreciate the trust.” Alya opened a bottle and handed it to Marinette. 

“This is kind of a big deal to me so thank you guys for being cool about it.” She shifted uncomfortably. “I’m scared to death now but I’m hoping this was the right move.”

Adrien put a comforting arm around her shoulders. “We’re here for you, whatever you need.”

“Speaking on that though, it’s a two-way street,” Alya smirked. “And while I adore my sisters dearly, Nora would have me plan the wedding in the middle of a boxing ring and the twins would have the whole event end up being about them somehow.” She bit her lip. “Do you think you could maybe help me with some stuff?”

Marinette blinked. “You want me to help you with the wedding planning?”

“If you don’t mind.” Alya looked uncharacteristically shy. “We used to talk about this stuff all the time, but I get things are different now so if you don’t want to--”

“I’d love to,” Marinette interjected with a blush. “I’m just a little surprised, that’s all. I haven’t exactly been a great friend.”

“No,” Alya admitted, “but you’re my sister and family always gets a second chance with me.”

Adrien squeezed her shoulder as Marinette blinked away happy tears. “Thank you,” she whispered.  
___

“I wish I could go with you when you do this,” Adrien sighed. He held Ladybug’s hand in his as they walked to the edge of the roof.

“Is this your way of asking for a Miraculous?” she teased.

His eyes lit up. “Is that something I could do?”

Ladybug’s face clouded over. “No. I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

“You need someone watching your back out there.”

“It’s mostly just swinging around and making sure there’s not something going on the police can’t handle. I’m fine, promise.” She covered their hands with her other one and then released him. “I’ll be back soon.”

Adrien almost let her go but he couldn’t keep in the question that ate away at him every time he tried to casually mention helping her with his own Miraculous. “Do you not trust me?”

She turned, surprise evident on her face. “I trust you more than anyone in the world. I thought you knew that.”

He frowned. “I do...I guess. I just wonder why you don’t think I can handle being your super partner.”

Her shoulders slumped slightly. “Adrien, it has nothing to do with your capabilities. I just can’t lose you like I lost him. I can’t. You understand that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but--”

“Please respect how I feel about this.”

He fell silent and nodded. “Be safe,” he finally said and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “Come home to me when you’re done.”

Ladybug was tempted to escape back to her own apartment to avoid the tension but she agreed and swung off before anymore could be said.


	19. Love Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the kind comments! <3

Adrien spent the next few months in a lovesick haze of cuddles and kisses and nights swinging around the city as he clung to his spotted lady of luck. He was so happy with Marinette that everything else in his life just seemed better for no other reason than her presence.

Photoshoots were less exhausting and business meetings were no longer the worst. His father actually seemed fond of Ladybug in his own closed off way and Adrien took that for the victory it was. It was difficult keeping his relationship a secret from Gabriel since the older man had met Ladybug first but he was managing. Perhaps one day it would be safe to tell him. It’d definitely make things easier. 

Everything was going so well until a Wednesday afternoon.

He sat with Alya and Nino in a booth and had the strangest sense of deja vu as they watched a car swerve out of control down the otherwise calm street. 

“This isn’t right...” he murmured, unable to shake the feeling.

“What isn’t?” Nino dropped a fry in his ketchup as the car came to a screeching halt. The tires spun in an attempt to gain traction and the car jumped forward a bit before being pulled back again.

“She’s here,” Alya sighed in relief and the trio leaned forward to peer out the deli window with the other gawkers to see Ladybug keeping the car in place with only her yoyo lassoed around the vehicle. 

She was obviously straining, her face pinched in concentration and legs spread apart to give herself balance and leverage. 

Adrien jumped up from his seat. “She needs help!” He could hear his friends calling after him as he tore out of the deli and got to the car. He saw his girlfriend’s eyes widen in fear as he neared the car and she doubled her efforts to hold the yoyo tight.

Carefully watching the tires, Adrien went to the driver’s side of the car and wrenched open the door. A young woman was sobbing as she tried to loosen her seatbelt. “My son, please, my son,” she cried as she clawed at the seatbelt locking mechanism.

Adrien swallowed hard and looked to the backseat to see the baby upset in his carseat. He opened his mouth to answer her and the car pitched forward with a squeal of tires against the concrete before it lurched back. He stumbled with it and the door tried to close on him. He pushed it open again and spared a quick glance out the back windshield to see that a few civilians had joined Ladybug and were trying to help her hold the car back.

“I’ll get the baby.” Alya was by his side and opening the back door. “Nino, go to the other side and see if you can get the seatbelt undone. Adrien, you’ve got to shut the car down. Get the keys!”

He nodded and let go of the woman’s seatbelt with a quick nod to Nino before he tried to reach around and grasp the keys. They stayed stubbornly stuck in the ignition but after he was all but crawling over the woman and pressing himself against the steering wheel, he was able to force them to cut the engine.

The car dropped a little at the sudden loss of power and the baby let out a piercing cry just as Alya freed him from his restraints. Once the mother and baby were safely out of the car and checked for injuries, Ladybug released her yoyo and swung away with a small wave as a couple of reporters tried to swarm her.

Adrien watched her disappear behind some buildings and realized how incredibly tense he was and why.

The awful dark cloud that had never really left the back of his mind. 

The reason he’d been sent back.

It was beginning.  
___

Marinette spent the better part of the night beating herself up over almost being too late. She paced his room restlessly and berated herself and brought up all the odd instances of things happening around the city lately. Adrien tried to explain he should’ve seen the signs earlier but she didn’t want to hear it. She wanted to blame herself and nothing else would do. She finally wore herself out and fell into a dozing sleep as she held his pillow tight to her chest. 

Adrien watched her sleep for a bit and then sat down at his desk. He would just have to remind her why she was amazing. He would have to force her to remember how many times she’d helped people and how much she gave on a daily basis. He began a mission to write her as many love letters as he could. 

Love letters from the city for everything she did as Ladybug.

Love letters filled with stories of her heroics, her successes and failures. Love letters that detailed how inspiring it was to watch her try even when things were hard.

He poured his heart into love letters that told her she was the most precious person in the world to him. She was his sun and even when there were cloudy days, she still shone brightly. He reminded her how much better his life was with her in it. 

And lastly, he wrote her love letters of their future. The future they could have because no matter the threat that was coming, he would never leave her side. That was his promise.


	20. Soft Touches

“I’m nervous,” Marinette admitted, her voice barely a whisper. “Scared even.”

Adrien pulled her closer to him and kissed the top of her head as they lay curled together in his bed. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Don’t I know it.”

She tilted her face up to smile at him but it melted into a frown. “I can feel it coming. Something isn’t right. This is how it happened before, isn’t it?”

“I honestly don’t know as far as feeling it,” Adrien said, smoothing her hair back. “But I do remember the odd things happening around the city and those seem to be becoming more frequent just like before. Some are the same but some are different.”

“Maybe you stepped on a butterfly you missed last time around and it’s messing with things.”

“I’ve thought about it.”

Marinette rolled onto her side so she could see him better. “I know the fight will be different because of how I feel now, how you make me feel. I know I’ll give it everything I have but...”

“But,” he prodded.

“But what if I’m still not enough?” she whispered.

“I want to say you’ll be but to be honest, I’m terrified of something happening to you. It was hard enough to lose you when I only knew of who you were. Now that I know you and love you, I can’t even...” He swallowed hard. “I’ll do anything to help you. Anything.”

She could see what he was asking but couldn’t bring herself to answer him. Instead she cuddled in close and closed her eyes. “Do you ever wonder where you would be if Bunnix hadn’t plucked you out of your life and sent you back?”

“I’ve thought about it once or twice but I wouldn’t trade any of this no matter what that future held.”

“Easy to say now.”

“Doesn’t it make it less true.”

“I think knowing Ladybug is a curse.”

Adrien held her tight and kissed her hair again. “As someone whose life is made better daily simply from having the privilege to know her, I’ll have to disagree.”


	21. Secrets

“Miss me?” Bunnix smirked as she leaned against the frame of Adrien’s open window.

He stared back at her and couldn’t figure out what to say for a few seconds. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, hello to you too then.” She ventured further into the room and picked up a picture of him and Marinette. “I see things are going well.”

Adrien cleared his throat and took the frame from her, setting it back in place. He felt like his every nerve was standing on end. “Did I do something wrong? Are things still going to go bad?”

Bunnix sighed and sat down on his desk chair. She spun it in a circle and then stopped to face him. “So here’s the deal. I’ve been waiting to jump into my past,” she pointed to him, “your future-- to see how things changed since you’ve kinda given Ladybug a happiness facelift, but I finally did it and...hey, do you have anything to eat? I’m starving. It’s been literal decades since breakfast for me.”

Fighting to hold back the scream that was threatening to tear its way out, Adrien took a deep breath. “Please tell me everything’s going to be okay, that she’s going to survive the battle.”

“No.”

“No, it’s not okay or no, she doesn’t--”

“No, she doesn’t survive,” Bunnix answered, voice quiet. 

Adrien sank down to the edge of his bed and felt like his entire universe was closing in on him. “I don’t understand,” he whispered.

“She fights hard and she really does a phenomenal job for being on her own, but it just isn’t enough. She stops to save some civilians that get caught in the crossfire and gets taken out when her back is turned.”

“No...no, no, no...”

“I went further past her death like before and things were different, better even. A new team rises up in her absence and beats back the darkness. She’s inspired so many people now.”

He knew he was crying but he didn’t bother trying to hide it. “You have to take me back again. I can change more stuff. I can do something different so she survives. I’ll start over and--”

“I can’t.”

He stood angrily. “You can. Shoot your umbrella thing and make a portal and I’ll do it better. I’ll keep her alive this time.”

“But you won’t survive.” Her face grew uncharacteristically sympathetic. “Have you been getting the headaches?”

Adrien swallowed hard. He hadn’t even told Marinette about the headaches, the ones the made it feel like his skull would crumble away to dust and everything he’d ever known would spill out all over the floor. “Everyone gets headaches.”

“True, but everyone doesn’t have two sets of memories running parallel in their heads. Even the mundane things you don’t really remember are still in there and your brain realizes something isn’t right. If I took you back again, your mind would fracture and you’d be no good to her then.”

“How do you do it then?”

“The Miraculous protects me for now,” she shrugged.

“For now?”

“I read a journal from a previous holder. It wasn’t pretty, but I’ve got time.” She laughed but it was a humorless sound. “That’s all I’ve got.” She stood and stretched and forced Adrien to take a few steps back out of her personal space. “There’s someone I’m going to talk to. He’s the one who told me to set this up to begin with.”

“Can you take me to him?”

Bunnix went to the window and straddled the sill. “Nah, if he wants to meet you, he has his ways.”

He took a step forward. He couldn’t let her go yet. He needed more answers. “What can I do?” he asked, desperation eating at the edge of his voice. “How do I help her?”

“Don’t tell her any of this. Keep it a secret.”

“I tell her everything. She already knows what happened in my old timeline.”

“But she doesn’t need to know this. Not yet.” Bunnix fixed him with a hard stare. “If you really want to help her, keep it to yourself.”


	22. Admirer

“Is everything okay?” Adrien looked Ladybug up and down worriedly before he finally met her eyes. 

“Everything’s fine. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” she winced. “I just really wanted to see you so I swung over on my lunch break.”

He visibly deflated with relief and pulled her to him to kiss the top of her head. “I think I’m a little on edge these days. Sorry.”

She breathed in deeply and pressed her cheek to his chest so she could hear the steady thump of his heart. “I’ve been the same way, hence the middle of the work day antsy need to just see you for a few minutes.” She stepped back but didn’t try to break the circle of his arms around her as she looked up at him. “I just keep thinking, what if it’s today? What if I didn’t get to see you before everything goes down and--” Her words were cut off when Adrien pressed two fingers to her lips.

“If you don’t think I have every variation of your name set up for every news and Google alert possible on my phone, you just don’t know me at all.” He moved his hand so he could stroke his thumb along her cheek just beneath the mask. “I’ll be by your side the minute I can be as soon as anything happens.”

“That’s what worries me,” she sighed and stepped back more. A beeping alarm rang out from her yoyo and she quieted it. “I need to get back to work.”

“I probably do too,” Adrien admitted. “I’ll see you at home later.”

Ladybug nodded and went up on the balls of her feet to kiss him before she was dashing across the roof and swinging away.

Adrien made his way back downstairs to find that the instructor had already released the students he’d been working with. He made a quick apology and went outside to decide where to go for lunch.

“Mr. Agreste, if I could have a moment of your time please?”

He frowned at the short, older man looking up at him with a kind smile at the bottom of the stairs. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

“Not officially, no. I’ve been an admirer of yours for quite some time though.” As if he could sense Adrien’s uncertainty, the man took a few steps up and lowered his voice. “I know of a way you could be of assistance to Ladybug, if that’s something you desire.”

Adrien felt his throat go dry. “Who are you?”

He smiled and offered the hand that wasn’t holding onto a jade-tipped cane. “You can call me Fu. Bunnix suggested we speak due to your desperation to help Ladybug. I think I may have a way if we can go somewhere to talk.”

Without a second thought, Adrien nodded as he shook the other man’s hand. “Lead the way.”


	23. The Press

“You’ve made quite a difference in Ladybug’s life,” Fu commented as he expertly poured steaming tea into a waiting cup. “It hasn’t only been those close to her who have noticed the change either. She’s getting the kind of press she did when she first appeared. The city has always loved her, but now they adore her again. A smile goes a long way.” 

He set the kettle down and offered Adrien one of the cups of tea. “They can see her happiness is genuine and it makes the people of this city feel at ease. I think you have a bit to do with that, if I’m not mistaken.”

Adrien tested the tea and found it still too hot for his taste so he politely set it back on the table with a small nod. “She’s easy to love. I’m not sure I did much of anything besides become an annoying persistence in her life until she gave me a chance.”

“I believe you undersell yourself.”

He shrugged and looked down into the liquid in his cup. “You said there was some way to help her. Did you mean a Miraculous?”

The corner of Fu’s lips quirked but he didn’t quite smile. “She has been very open with you.”

“We tell each other everything which is why it’s been killing me to keep my last talk with Bunnix a secret. I’m hoping you showing up today means good news.”

“I’m not sure if I would call the responsibility of a Miraculous good news, but perhaps it is the hope you’ve been searching for.” Fu finished his tea and then stood with a grunt and went across the room and began to fiddle with a phonograph. He brought a box out and returned to the table, setting it between them.

“There are many to choose from, each with a unique way to help her,” he said. “I will tell you what each represents and it will be up to you to choose wisely.”

“I’m listening.” 

Adrien drank in the information Fu gave him. He met Wayzz, the kwami attached to the bracelet Fu wore. He touched each Miraculous and felt their power call to him in different ways. He would be able to save Ladybug with any of them but he knew there was one he needed to choose above the others. He had to be smart.

It was late by the time Fu asked him the question he knew was coming. “Have you made your choice, Mr. Agreste?”

“I’ve narrowed it down to two, but I’m torn.”

“I see. Perhaps I can aid you in your choice. Which two do you feel best fit your needs?”

Hesitantly, he reached out for the black ring but he left his fingers to hover in the air above it without touching. “I understand what this one means and I know it’s meant to be in action with Ladybug but I...” He swallowed thickly and pulled his hand back. “I don’t think I can do it though. Not without talking to her. I’m not sure she’s ready for that.”

Fu pursed his lips and nodded. “I understand your hesitation.”

“I’m afraid it would be distracting for her. She’s already going to be worried about something happening to me; I don’t want to compound it with her seeing me as Chat Noir after what happened with Felix.”

“I could see how that could be an issue. Have you given thought to not revealing your identity so her concern won’t be as much of a factor?”

Adrien shook his head. “I don’t want to deceive her. I can’t see that going well.”

“Then I believe you’ve made your choice. What was the other Miraculous you had in mind?”

He flushed as he eyed the older man’s bracelet. “Well, it feels weird to request it but since you did include it in your explanation...”

Fu touched the jade turtle charm holding the leather cords together. “The Miraculous of protection. It does seem like the best fit for your endeavors.” He held out his hand and Wayzz landed in his palm. “I think it’s time we part for a while, old friend.”

The small kwami smiled and then bowed his head. “As you wish, Master.” He zipped into the bracelet and Fu carefully took it off and handed it to Adrien. 

“I’ll leave this in your capable hands. I have no doubt you’ll know the moment you need it. Wayzz will be able to tell you what you need to know.”

The weight of the bracelet in his hand was much greater than it appeared as Adrien looked down at the power entrusted to him. “I won’t let her down,” he promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you were wanting to see Adrien with the Black Cat Miraculous and while I'm not saying it won't ever happen, I don't think it would be a good fit for either him or Marinette at this time so I thought the Turtle would work better in this scenario. :)


	24. Reveal

Adrien hefted the shield up to test the weight. “What was it again?” he muttered. “Shellshock?” He frowned as nothing happened. “Uh, Shelldome? Apparently not.” He tried to think back on what Wayzz told him when he was explaining the powers of the Turtle Miraculous. “Oh yeah, Shellter!”

The magical force field materialized in front of the shield and he let out a whoop of victory, however, his joy was short-lived.

“What the hell is going on?!” an angry voice rang out behind him.

He jumped and the force field disappeared as the shield clattered against the rooftop. “Ladybug!” He scratched at the back of his neck nervously and was confused by the foreign feeling of the gloves for a moment. “Uh, hi.”

“Where did you get that?” Her eyes were narrowed as she stalked across the roof and pointed to the bracelet on his wrist.

“Um, I met Fu today and he let me pick a Miraculous so I could help you.”

Some of the anger drained from her face. “You talked to Fu?”

“He was downstairs after you and I talked at lunch. He told me all about the Miraculous and offered to let me take one so I could fight with you when you need it.”

She swallowed hard and took a step back. “I don’t want you fighting,” she whispered.

“I know,” he replied, voice just as quiet.

They stood across from each other as a cool breeze passed through them. 

“Did he choose the Turtle for you? I find that surprising,” she finally said. Her mouth was set in an unhappy line and her arms were crossed but the fact that she was speaking felt like a positive sign to Adrien.

“He explained all the powers and how they could benefit you. My first thought was...well, I looked at the Black Cat.” He saw her stiffen immediately so he quickly continued. “But as mad as I’m sure you are about this being sprung on you, I knew I couldn’t take that one without us having a serious discussion first.”

“Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome.” He dared a quick glance at her face. “Fu told me the Turtle was for protection and since that’s exactly what I want for you, it felt fitting. Are you mad?”

“Yes.”

“Do you hate me now?”

She let her transformation fall with a tired sigh. “I could never hate you, Adrien. I’m terrified, but I could never hate you. It’d be a little hypocritical to hate you for this when all I want to do is protect you too. I lo...” She trailed off and stepped closer to reach up to run her fingers along the iridescent green scales of his mask. “All the green looks really good on you.”

“You think so? Wayzz said my costume would form from my thoughts but I’m not sure this is what I had in mind. I feel a little silly.”

“Yeah, it takes some getting used to.”

Adrien reached up for her hand that was still touching his mask and brought it to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “I want to be by your side, no matter what.”

Marinette blinked and there were tears in her eyes. “I love you,” she whispered.

Feeling like his heart would swell ten sizes bigger, Adrien leaned down to kiss her. “I love you too.”


	25. Hiding

Adrien woke up with a sudden, intense knowledge that he almost wished he didn’t have. He turned his head to see Marinette already awake and staring at the ceiling.

“It’s today, isn’t it?” she asked without looking at him.

“I think so. I don’t know why but it just feels like it is.”

She nodded. “I think it is too. It’s one of those days when it feels dangerous to get out of bed.” She rolled on her side so she could look at him. “I want to hide in here all day. Would that be bad?”

“You should know I agree with any plan that keeps you safe.” He rolled on his side to face her as well. “Do you think you could do that? Hide?”

She seemed to seriously contemplate it for a minute before she shook her head, hair rustling against the pillowcase. “No. People would still get hurt and that would be on me if I did nothing to try to help.”

“You’re a hero.”

“I don’t want to be today,” she whispered. She scooted closer and curled against him and Adrien kissed the top of her head and held her close.

“I’m going to be by your side the whole time, I promise.”

“Nothing can happen to you.”

“Nothing will. I’ve got that cool shield and force field thing, remember? We’re going to be fine.”

“But what if we’re not?”

“Marinette, Ladybug...” He pulled back enough to look down at her face. “My beautiful Lady, you are the strongest person I know. I know it’s scary going into this fight with the knowledge of what happened in another life but...but every fight you’ve ever had could’ve gone down like this. But you always win, and you want to know why?”

“I don’t always win,” she argued.

“Do you want to know why?” he repeated with a pointed smile. 

She rolled her eyes but a smile tugged at her lips. “Why?”

“Because you’re smart and creative and amazing and you’ve got literal luck on your side. We’re going to win this today. Trust me.”

She looked into his earnest eyes and wanted what he said to be true more than anything else in the whole world. “Okay,” she breathed. “I trust you.”


	26. Piano

“Where are you?” Ladybug asked as she scanned the street below.

“Somewhere safe, just like I promised. There’s a piano nearby but that’s all I’m going to tell you,” Adrien replied in her ear. “You know, it might not happen today. Things could’ve changed this time. Just because the morning felt the same doesn’t mean anything.”

“Do you believe that?”

There was a long pause before he answered. “I want to.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be transformed yet. It might draw unwanted attention.”

“No one can see me. Besides, we wouldn’t be able to use these handy communicators if I wasn’t,” he reasoned. “We’re going to be fine, Mari.”

She took in a deep breath and moved to the next rooftop to start her scan again. “Right. You’re right. We’ve just got to be smart about this. Speaking of, you need a name when you’re like that. We don’t anyone finding out who you are.”

“I was thinking something simple, like Shell. Is that dumb?”

“I literally called myself Ladybug. I’m not here to judge.”

There was a sharp inhale and Adrien’s voice was strained when he spoke again. “It’s starting to rain. I remember now...”

“I need to get to the plaza then.” Ladybug found it hard to move forward. She sank down where she was and rested her forehead against the brick ledge of the roof. “Adrien?” she whispered.

“I’m here.”

“I want...in case it goes bad--”

“Please don’t...”

“I need to say this.” She swallowed against the lump in her throat. “Thank you. Thank you for giving me my life back. No matter what happens today, I need you to know that the last few months have meant more to me than anything. I love you, Adrien.”

“I love you too, but you’re the one who took your life back. I’m just happy I got to be a part of it.”

She could hear the smile in his words. “Well, thank you anyway.”


	27. Protect You

“Oh, hero,” the snide voice sang out. “Come back out and play. We were just starting to have fun!”

Ladybug gasped for breath as she carefully pulled a sliver of glass from her side. Her suit darkened with a deeper red and she covered her mouth so she wouldn’t sob out loud. She was hidden in an alley, trying to gain her composure so she could head back out into the fight.

The villain was more than she’d expected. They were nothing like Paon and the minions she’d fought before. Magic was thick on the air and while there was the familiar feeling of a Miraculous in use, there was something darker and more stained with it. Whatever this person was now, they’d lost their humanity long ago. 

“I’m coming for you. Stay right there.” Shell’s voice was strained but determined in her ear. 

“No.” She cleared her throat and tried not to sound so scared. “You promised to stay hidden unless I needed you. I’m okay. I just needed a breath.”

“You got hit with that glass after the explosion. I saw it.”

Ladybug looked down at her suit. The material was magically knitting back together in halting bursts but she could feel the pain of the gash beneath it. Tikki was struggling as much as she was. “I’m fine.”

Shell didn’t respond but she could hear him huffing as if he was exerting energy to get to her. 

“I mean it. Stay hidden,” she demanded. “I’m going back out.”

“Little bug,” the villain called. “I want to squash you. I know you’re hurt. I can smell your fear. I can smell your blood. Just give up and let’s get this over with. I have a city to take over.”

Ladybug straightened and the world swayed around her. She looked down again to see more blood soaking through her suit. There had to be glass shards she missed but through her hazy vision, she couldn’t tell where. Was this when she gave up before? Was it happening the same way? She should’ve demanded more details from Adrien but she’d been so scared to know. 

She didn’t want to die now. She wanted to live. She wanted a future with Adrien and she wanted to see her friends again and reconnect with her family and...

“I have to do this,” she ground out and stumbled as she tried to move forward. Pain shot up her arms from her wrists when she caught herself on the hard pavement and her knees screamed in pain. 

“Get up, Spots,” a familiar voice demanded. “Get up now!”

She tried to blink past the gray fog covering her vision. “Felix?”

“You’re not giving up. You’re not a quitter.”

“I’m trying...”

“Try harder.”

Other voices were talking around her but they were muffled and she couldn’t make out the words. She had to get up. If she didn’t, Adrien would try to come for her and he would get hurt, killed. She had to protect him. She had to protect everyone.

She pushed herself up again and held her yoyo in both hands as she almost blindly moved forward. “Lucky Charm,” she rasped out as she slung the yoyo up into the air with her remaining strength. It was a wasted effort. She’d already called on her power before. She would lose her transformation soon. It was going to happen. She was going to die.

Ladybug coughed and felt something warm and thick fill her mouth and she knew it was blood. “Help me...”

There was a loud yell and then the sound of electricity popping and crackling around her was the last thing she heard before the world went dark.


	28. Tangled

“Protection comes in many forms but some of them can come at a great cost,” Fu warned. “You have the choice to decide if you are willing to pay.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her,” Adrien promised as he tightened the bracelet on his wrist. “That’s why I’m here.”

The memory faded away and Adrien turned his head in pain to try to see what was happening. His vision was blurred but he thought he could make out a streak of red charging toward a blob of dark bubbling power.

“Master?” a small voice croaked out.

Adrien reached out painfully and gathered Wayzz to his chest. “’kay?” he rasped.

“I’ll heal in time.” The kwami’s voice was weak. “You need to get to safety.”

The thought of moving brought tears to his eyes. Everything hurt and it was getting harder to breathe by the second. Had this been what she felt like? How had she even been moving? “Can’t.”

“Please. You need help.”

He tried to focus on the blurry red figure he could see in the distance. “Made my choice,” he forced out. 

Another memory of Fu floated to the front of his mind again, the old man concerned as he looked at the Miraculous now residing on Adrien’s wrist. “It isn’t an option to be taken lightly. Even if she survives the battle, she might not survive another loss. The Turtle is a powerful ally but not one to be used lightly.”

Adrien covered the bracelet with his other hand and found comfort in the coolness of the jade turtle stone. “If she needs my life force to keep going, then I’m going to give it to her, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. I’ll hold on as long as I can. I’ll have faith that she’ll save me like I’m going to save her.”

“No other holder has been willing to give their life force in exchange for another’s. It’s not as easy a choice as it seems.”

“It is with the right motivation,” Adrien replied stubbornly. “It is for her.”

“You can reverse it even after it’s occured, but be advised that your essence will only stretch so far. Once it’s been used up, it’s gone.”

“I’ll be dead, you mean.”

Fu nodded somberly. “Yes.”

“But if she’s hurt, I can heal her with my life force, right?”

“You would essentially be taking on her injuries to make her whole, yes, but it is absolutely a worst case scenario option.” His eyes gained a haunted look. “Not everyone is able to make the choice and deal with the pain, even for love, and taking your essence back after you’ve given it to her would be...detrimental for you both. Once two life forces have been tangled, they will remain that way until death.”

Adrien swallowed against the lump in his throat and straightened. “Then I just have to make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

He blinked and he was back in the dirty alley. He found he didn’t mind the rough pavement under his cheek so much anymore. It didn’t feel like much of anything now. His skin was going pleasantly numb and he found it hard to complain. It was much better than the excruciating pain he’d felt when he’d first used the secret power of the Turtle to protect Ladybug by transferring her injuries to his own body. He was amazed she’d even been able to get back on her feet in this state. She was so strong. He hadn’t managed to even get to his knees yet and now it felt like it would be a wasted effort.

He could feel something wet trailing across his cheek and down towards his nose. He wasn’t sure if it was tears or blood but at this this point it didn’t matter much. He really was trying to hold on but it was getting harder to find something to hold onto. His body felt light and the pain was lessening. He tried to look for Ladybug one more time but found his eyesight had gone mostly gray. He sighed and it came out in a rattling breath.

“Love you,” he whispered.

“Then you sure as hell aren’t going to die on her,” a voice demanded. “I won’t let you.”


	29. Matching

“Hey, are you with us?”

Adrien opened his eyes slowly and groaned. Marinette smiled down at him, tears running down her cheeks. Everything hurt but if she was here, it must be heaven. “Am I dead?”

“Don’t even joke about that, dude,” Nino frowned from the other side of the bed. “I’m already tempted to never let you leave the apartment again. I think it’s the first time your dad and I have ever agreed on something.”

“Give him some space, babe. You can be the angry, protective big brother when he’s been awake longer than thirty seconds,” Alya said gently, taking his arm. She nodded at Marinette. “We’ll go get some coffee and be back in a few.”

Marinette watched them go before looking back down at Adrien. She swallowed thickly as the tears began to fall faster. “I’m so mad at you right now.” A sob forced its way out and she fell over him, holding him as best she could from her position standing beside the hospital bed. 

He still felt a little disoriented but he tried to hold her back the best he could. “I’m okay. Everything’s fine.” He let her cry against his chest until she began to quiet and he awkwardly rubbed the back of her shoulder since it was what he could reach without the IV in his hand pulling too much. “I don’t think I understand what happened though.”

With a sniff, she pulled back. “You mean when you immediately dropped after I was somehow magically healed?” she accused. 

Adrien smiled tiredly. “I was thinking a little more like how I got here. I thought...”

“I thought you were dead too,” she whispered. “But...I know this is going to sound crazy, but I could’ve sworn I heard Felix. He said he was refusing to let you cross over and that I know what a stubborn bastard he could be so I better get you to the hospital.”

“I think I was standing in this hallway but Chat Noir was in my way and threatened to Cataclysm me if I didn’t turn around,” he replied, face screwed up in confusion. “That couldn’t have been real though...”

She made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob. “Still protecting me even now,” she whispered.

Adrien tried to reach out for her and got frustrated by the wires and bed railing in the way. “Can you lay down with me? I really want to hold you.”

“I don’t wanna hurt you.”

“You couldn’t possibly.”

She carefully climbed into the bed and cuddled up next to him. They both sighed in relief as their heartbeats seemed to sync up. 

“I think our heartbeats match now,” Adrien chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. “Fu warned our life forces would be all tangled if I used that power. I hope you don’t mind too much.”

“Don’t you ever scare me like this again.”

He looked down his body to see the Miraculous had been replaced with a hospital identity bracelet. “Did you take Wayzz back to Fu?”

“Nino did. I explained everything to him so he would know what to expect.”

“What happened to the villain?”

Marinette let out a deep exhale. “Down for now but they warned that more were coming. Called themselves the Harbinger, said they were only the beginning of a new wave of Miraculous holders that would rule the world.”

“That’s terrifying.”

“Yeah.”

The silence stretched on between them for a while before Adrien spoke again. “I’m going to need the bracelet back, Mari,” he said quietly.

“No.”

“I’m not going to let you face more villains like this on your own.”

“And I’m not going to let you almost kill yourself again trying to save me. You cannot have the Turtle back.”

Adrien heard the loophole in her words but decided it wasn’t the time to press it. He held her close and listened to the reassuring sound of her breathing and felt sleep take him under.


	30. Chapter 30

Five Months Later:

“Adrien, please eat more. We’ve got plenty,” Sabine encouraged, offering him the dish of scalloped potatoes. “We were so glad you two were able to make it to dinner that we may have gone a little overboard.”

Adrien gave Marinette a quick grin before taking the dish. “Well, how can I say no to that?”

“I don’t think you can,” she giggled. “Dad, the marinade on the chicken is amazing.”

Tom beamed proudly. “Just a few flavor mixtures I’ve been playing with. We’ve been talking about possibly offering lunch options at the bakery.”

“Oh wow, that would be great.”

Bridgette cleared her throat from the other end of the table and offered her younger sister a tentative smile. “We could actually use the help if we do, if you aren’t too busy with you other, um, jobs.”

Adrien squeezed Marinette’s hand under the table as he watched her try to keep her composure as she smiled back at Bridgette. “I’d really love that.”

___

Adrien sat up on the rooftop with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he watched the battle coverage livestream on his phone. He winced when Ladybug took a hit but Carapace was quick to step in and block the next one as the red hero got back on her feet. Rena Rouge fended off a sneak attack from the side as Ladybug called on Lucky Charm.

“Is there a reason you’re shivering up here instead of being warm and cozy in your apartment downstairs?” Bunnix flopped down on the lounger next to him with a yawn. “So looks like you saved the day after all.”

“I’ve been wondering if I would see you again.” Adrien set the phone in his lap where he could look back down easily to keep up with the fight. “How’s the future?”

“Looking pretty good now actually. This will probably be the last time you see this me.”

“Does that mean I’m going to see another you?”

She winked and put her arms behind her head. “Ladybug still not letting you play with her?”

He shrugged. “I get it.”

“But you still want to be out there. Gotta suck to see someone else with the Turtle, especially your best friend.”

“Nino and Alya are really helping her. I’m glad they’ve got her back.” Adrien’s attention drifted back to livestream and he was happy to see the heroes had triumphed once again. “I do wish I could be out there with her though,” he admitted.

“Don’t give up hope. Something tells me she’ll be calling on you very soon.” Bunnix stood and walked to the edge of the roof but paused before the end. “Hey, I’m going to need a little encouragement after a battle goes bad coming up. Don’t be afraid to tell me what I need to hear.”

Adrien’s face screwed up in confusion. “Is that going to make more sense at some point?”

She turned to grin at him and shrugged. “Time is a funny thing. Maybe it will, maybe it won’t.” She waved a hand. “See ya around, Chat.”

With a flash of light she was gone and Adrien sat blinking against the light bursts blurring his vision. “Did she just call me Chat?”

___

Ladybug landed on the roof and yawned but her face brightened when she saw Adrien curled up under a blanket on one of the loungers. “You didn’t have to wait on me up here,” she said even as she settled down beside him and snuggled under the blanket.

“Alya and Nino said you shouldn’t be too far behind.” He kissed the top of her head. “How was it?”

“A little rough,” she confessed. “I think we’ve got a new player on the field; they just haven’t shown themselves yet.”

“That means there are four bad Miraculous holders then, right?”

“Probably.”

Adrien held his tongue. They’d had the conversation enough over the last few months. He waited to feel her tense beside him but she didn’t.

“I have something to ask you,” she said, voice soft.

“Yes, I’ll marry you. I’ve told you a thousand times,” he teased.

She tilted her face up to look at him and scrunched up her nose. “Not that, you goof. But let’s put a pin in it and come back.”

He grinned. He already had a ring picked out for her and was only waiting until she said she was ready. That didn’t mean he was going to let her forget. “Please continue.”

Ladybug wiggled until she was sitting up and put enough space between them so they could almost face each other. “I need you to know that I trust you more than anybody in this world. I’m afraid you think I haven’t given you a Miraculous because I don’t trust you enough and I want you to know that isn’t it.”

While he hadn’t thought that was the main reason, he had to admit that the thought had crossed his mind. “Okay.”

“And I know that you’re going to realize how important this is to me, how terrifying, actually, and you’re going to see how much it means I trust you.”

Adrien sat up a little straighter and although the same word, his reply was slower this time. “Okay.”

She held his gaze for a moment before nodding and reaching down to her yoyo. She opened a compartment and pulled out a black ring. She looked down at it as she spoke. “I love you so much, Adrien, and it scares me to think of you out there with me again after...after what happened before, but I also know that I need to be strong because you and I were meant to be a team.” She ran a gloved finger along the band of the ring. “And I think if Felix were here, he’d choose you as his successor too.”

She finally looked up at him and held the ring in her palm between them. “So, Adrien Agreste, will you do me the honor of taking up the Black Cat Miraculous and fighting by my side?”

Instead of taking the ring, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently. He pulled back enough to rest his forehead against hers. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! I really enjoyed delving into this AU for the event. I loved seeing all your comments and reactions. It makes me happy that you liked it so much. Thank you! <3


End file.
